Economics student to present paper at national research conference

Economics student to present paper at national research conference

03/01/11

SALEM, Va. — Tyler Rinko ’11, of Maple Glen, Pa., has been chosen to present a paper at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research at Ithaca College this spring. The abstract for his economics paper, "The European Debt Crisis and How It Has Influenced U.S. Real Exchange Rates," was chosen from 3,500 submissions.

Rinko, an economics major, will present his work to students, faculty and staff from around the world. The NCUR promotes undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity in all fields of study, and the conference welcomes presenters from all institutions of higher learning and from all academic disciplines.

Rinko developed his paper for an upper-level econometrics course taught by Associate Professor Dr. Alice Kassens. He currently is expanding his paper for his spring semester honors project by looking at the policies recently implemented by the European Union. He is one of seven students working with Kassens in a mentor demonstration model, a method in which Kassens works on her own research side-by-side with the students as she teaches them advanced research concepts.

“I was very surprised to be accepted for the conference,” said Rinko. “Dr. Kassens did a great job in preparing me for my research.” Kassens taught Rinko how to use specialized statistical software in order to analyze his data.

Kassens said, “The economics program has had students present at on-campus and regional conferences, but never at a national level conference like NCUR. I am so very proud of Tyler. He has grown as a student and a scholar in his tenure at Roanoke College, and this honor is a fantastic reward for that growth, dedication and hard work. I hope students coming into Econometrics next year see what hard work can bring.”

In addition to independent study and honors projects such as Rinko’s, Roanoke offers many other undergraduate research opportunities. Students may apply to the Undergraduate Research Assistant Program, where participants work with faculty mentors on an ongoing project throughout their undergraduate years, or to the Summer Scholar program, where students are awarded housing and stipends for summer research work. The Bondurant Fund underwrites undergraduate summer research in chemistry, and students involved with the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research help administer public affairs polling and survey research.

Roanoke College, an independent, co-educational, four-year liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia, combines firsthand learning with valuable personal connections in a classic, undergraduate setting. Roanoke prepares students for their futures through its commitment to providing a true classic college experience. Roanoke is one of just 280 colleges nationwide with a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society. The Princeton Review names Roanoke as one of the “best in the Southeast.”